The Time Keeper

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The Time Keeper
Author Mitch Albom
Country United States
Language English (American English)
Genre inspirational fiction
Publisher Hyperion
Publication date
September 4, 2012
Media type Print (Hardcover)[1][2][3]
Pages 240 pp (first edition, hardcover)
ISBN 1-401-32278-6 (first edition, hardcover)

The Time Keeper is a work of inspirational fiction by author Mitch Albom. The hardcover edition was released September 4, 2012. Other editions of this book were released on other dates.

Plot

Albom's desire in this book is to help others appreciate time. The central character of this book is Dor, who in this fictional account invented the first clock. Dor is punished for trying to measure time by being banished to a cave for thousands of years. Dor becomes Father Time and has to listen to every person who laments about not having enough time. Eventually, in the present time, Dor has a chance to redeem himself and regain his freedom. He must help two totally different people understand the value of making wise use of time. One is a teenage girl named Sara Lemon. She has decided to give up on life after the pressure of not having her father around drove her mother a little crazy. Also, after the boy she liked began making advances on her she believed he loved her, but he ended up publicly humiliating her. The other is a wealthy elderly businessman who is terminally ill and tries to cheat death with cryogenic freezing so he can live forever. Much to the distaste of his wife, who feels they have been drifting apart. Then Dor changed their fates by stopping time and showed both of them their futures, in which Sarah's mother is grieving her death, and the businessman (whose name was Victor Delamonte) failed in his plan of freezing himself and being 'reborn' in the future. They both cooperated, and went back to the past to let Dor and his wife rekindle their broken relationship.

Reviews

As of July 2013 at least six professional reviews were written about The Time Keeper. Four reviewers liked the book and two considered the book a waste of time. Rabbi Jason Miller said of the book, "Time is on our wrists and computer screens, on our cell phones and on the walls of our home, but Mitch Albom teaches us that being a time keeper is not the way to live."[4] A review in the Publishers Weekly website said "Albom deftly juggles multiple narratives to craft an inspiring tale that will please his fans and newcomers alike."[5] A review in the Bookreport.com website said, "Albom has gained a well-deserved reputation for writing about matters of faith, mortality and the afterlife in ways that resonate with readers. In The Time Keeper, he does the same thing in a story that also reminds people how to try to live each day."[6] A reviewer for the Deseret News online also liked this book. She wrote, "Mitch Albom . . . returns to fiction with a unique and inspiring new book titled 'The Time Keeper.'"[7]

References

  1. Also released as Kindle Edition, a Barnes & Noble Nook book, as a paperback edition and as various audio and CD editions.
  2. Amazon.com website, at http://www.amazon.com/The-Time-Keeper-Mitch-Albom/dp/1401322786
  3. Barnes & Noble website, at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-time-keeper-mitch-albom/1110563538?ean=9781401312855 .
  4. Rabbi Jason Miller, "Mitch Albom's 'The Time Keeper' Offers Wisdom for Days of Awe," in the Huffington Post website, at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-jason-miller/mitch-alboms-the-timekeeper-offers-days-of-awe-wisdom_b_1868663.html .
  5. "The Time Keeper," in the Publishers Weekly website, at http://www.publishersweekly.com/9781401322786 .
  6. Norah Piehl, "The Time Keeper," in the Bookreporter.com website, at http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/the-time-keeper .
  7. Margot Hovley, "Book review: Mitch Albom's 'The Time Keeper' unique and inspiring," in Deseret news online, at http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865562418/Book-review-Mitch-Alboms-The-Time-Keeper-unique-and-inspiring.html?pg=all .